A HUGE majority of asylum applications made in the UK are made by adult males, a refugee charity has said.

Close to 80 percent of asylum seekers coming to the UK are men, says Refugee Council

According to The Refugee Council, a charity set up to help and support people making asylum applications in the UK, in some recent years up to 78 per cent of all asylum applications have been made by men.

The figures were revealed in evidence provided by the Refugee Council to a Home Affairs select committee inquiry into asylum accommodation due to increased immigration levels.

Separate Home Office statistics show that close to 35,000 asylum applications were made in 2015, suggesting more than 25,000 of these could have been adult males, as statistics for dependents and unaccompanied adults are separate.

In 2015 there were also around 3,000 asylum applications made by unaccompanied children, often in their late teens, and the bulk of these (93 per cent) were also male.

The council gave evidence on the issue of conditions for women in the seven initial accommodation centres across the UK - which are large facilities housing several asylum seekers at any one time.

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Women in asylum centres have been intimidated due to high numbers of men, says the Refugee Council

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The Refugee Council submission said: "In recent years, women have made up 21 to 28 per cent of asylum applications, so inevitably at times some of these centres are overwhelmingly dominated by men and we are not aware of any guidance for accommodation providers on what the male/female ratio should be."

The council revealed that there were fears that some of the men could potentially sexually harass women in the centres.

The submission added: "Communal and eating areas are mixed and bathrooms are usually unisex.

"Several of the centres have no women-only or safe spaces, potentially further exposing women who have experienced violence to additional trauma and/or risk.

"Anecdotally we have heard reports of women who are anxious about using the bathroom at night and/or going hungry because they feel intimidated or fearful of being sexually harassed in the corridors or the canteen."

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In recent years, women have made up 21 to 28 per cent of asylum applications, so inevitably at times some of these centres are overwhelmingly dominated by men.

Refugee Council

UKIP defence spokesman Mike Hookem said: "There is a real question to be asked about whether these predominantly young men of fighting age really are all asylum seekers.

"These statistics match what I saw during my many visits to the camps in northern France. They are economic migrants who have no reason to respect this country.

"I also believe that this government should be putting the security of this country first and the safety of women first.

"We have seen what happened in Germany and Sweden with sexual assaults by gangs of migrants; we need to make sure we are not importing that disgraceful attitude into Britain.

"I feel very sorry for female asylum seekers living in fear of attacks in these places: this fear says to me that these people will not respect the freedom women have in this country and it is not for us to change our behaviour to fit in with their attitudes and culture."

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The Refugee Council has called on the Home Office to require its accommodation contractors to provide a women and children only area in all initial accommodation, or in full board hostels a women only corridor with bathroom facilities and a communal women and children only space.

According to the full fact.org statistics website, the proportion of males seeking asylum across the EU as a whole is 57 per cent adult males, 26 per cent children, and 18 per cent women.

And, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) says of refugees who came to Europe across the Mediterranean, 69 per cent are male adults, 18 per cent children and just 13 per cent women.

The Home Office has said it will look at the findings of the select committee inquiry before responding to any recommendations for improvements it makes.

It has yet to respond to if it knows why so many asylum applications are made by adult males.